8×8 RGB small form factor toy

Here’s a cool tip, sent in by [Martin]. He has put together this very compact package for an animated 8×8 RGB LED array with a tiny footprint. It is controlled by an ATMega16 powered by 2 small lithium cells. While it may not be quite as small as the space invader button, it seems to have a bit more animation horsepower.

It can do text scrolling, frame transition effects (scroll up/down/left/right/dissolve) and frame streaming from a host device (microcontroller or PC).

It’s a fully functional PCB with level-selectable serial (TTL or RS232) via jumpers and a typical AVR ISP connector. All communication is done via serial, but the device can easily be programmed to run by itself.